The Five Patterns of Knowledge - Paper Example

Introduction

The nursing profession is highly dependent on the knowledge and expertise of the people who practice it. For several years now, there have been efforts to strengthen the profession by making it a science and integrating the nursing theory with the practice. Some of the efforts made include those of Jean Watson who explained several ways in which the knowledge in nursing can be improved. The five patterns of knowledge are one of these ways and it refers to the analysis of the kind of knowledge that increase the perspective and significance in nursing. The five include empirical, ethics, personal knowledge, social political and aesthetics (Felton and Royal, 2015). The empirical way of knowing is the descriptive and factual way of knowing, whereby the science behind the practices is analyzed using facts that can be confirmed scientifically. For example, data on maternal mortality rate is empirical and can be used to represent a view of the profession.

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The second one, ethics, refers to making responsible decisions, taking obligations seriously and doing what ought to be done. It helps nurses to be ethical and morally upright in their duties. The third one is personal knowledge, and it involves reflection and response which contribute to an increase in knowledge. When a nurse approaches a patient and develops a relationship with them, they get to learn more about the challenge and best solutions. It can also happen through interactions with others and experience during the profession. The fourth one is esthetic knowing which is achieved by observing the needs of the patients and perceptions of the solutions needed to meet the needs of the patient. In other words, it is the art of nursing which leads to increased knowledge through practical work. The last one is social-political which refers to the issues related to unemployment, poverty, discrimination, and isolation which can affect the patients (Felton and Royal, 2015). The patterns help nurses to learn and bring changes in the profession.

Main Points of Jean Watson's Theory of Human Caring

The theory of care by Jean Watson is based on the humanistic aspects, ethical concerns and the spiritual dimensions used in offering care to patients. There is a link between theory and practice in nursing and it is supported by the main points by Watson (Sitzman & Watson, 2018). The ten curative factors define the kind of care expected in the nursing profession. The first one is to embrace or show love and kindness to others. The second one is to inspire hope and faith in others and to show honor and respect to them, regardless of their social class or other characteristics. The third one is to show trust and self-cultivation of personal sensitivity and this involves nurturing their beliefs and personal growth. Nurturing is the fourth one and it involves trusting in others, helping them, having a caring relationship with them.

The fifth one is to forgive others and to accept both positive and negative feelings expressed by others. In this factor, nurses are expected to listen to others and understand their point of view. The sixth one is to deepen the use of scientific methods to solve the problems that affect the patients and the society at large. The seventh one is to balance teaching and learning which helps to meet the needs of the individuals. It improves the learning styles and readiness to respond to nursing challenges. The eighth one is the co-creation of an environment that respects human dignity and allows spiritual, cultural, protective and supportive operations. The ninth one is to offer assistance that helps spiritual, emotional and physical development. The last one is to be open to mystery and to allow any miracles that can happen. The factors help to link the theory of nursing to the actual practice (McKenna, Pajnkihar & Murph, 2014). The ten factors are used by nurses to make decisions in their daily practice.

Jean Watson's Views on Some of the Patterns of Knowledge

Watson explained different views about the patterns of knowledge explained above. According to her, the empirical knowledge or the science used in nursing is a critical element that can help nurses to achieve their targets and can help to understand different aspects of the profession. The pattern involves analyzing the qualitative and quantitative factors in the profession and it helps the nurses to make informed decisions. For the esthetic pattern which refers to the skills gained by observing the needs of the patients, Watson explained that the nurses can use their daily work experience to increase their pool of knowledge and to educate others. In her explanation, it is advisable to have an open mind when working so as to allow for learning to take place. For the ethical knowing, Watson expressed that nurses can learn by working morally and making decisions that are morally upright and acceptable. For personal knowing which comes from the interactions with the patients, Watson explained that some of the things known to nurses are from the engagements they have with their patients.

Application of the Patterns in Nursing

Some of the patterns are easier to apply than others due to their nature. One of the easier ones is ethical learning which involves making moral decisions. Nurses are trained to offer solutions to issues that may affect the integrity of their patients, while some situations are sensitive and may affect the psychological status of the patients. For example, when a patient is expected to share their historical medical information or to have a common treatment with their sexual partners, it is possible to face resistance because their privacy is at risk. However, making a morally upright decision helps the patients to feel comfortable to share the information. The other pattern is personal knowledge, whereby the nurse learns after interacting with the patients and other individuals. The ease of using the pattern is that most of the patients are willing to share their experience and they feel that the more they express their conditions the higher the chances of getting assisted. The relationships build more trust and the nurse gets to learn more items.

Conclusion

The nursing profession is dynamic and is affected by many changes in the world. For example, the increased and inconsistent changes in technology affect the sharing and access to information useful in the provision of services. The profession requires a frequent update of knowledge to deal with the changes in diseases and other conditions and this is why the five patterns of knowledge above are important. The ten curative factors also help to achieve this growth of knowledge. The contributions by Jean Watson have had significant impacts on the profession because many nurses emulate her views.

References

Felton, A., & Royal, J. (2015). Skills for nursing practice: Development of clinical skills in pre-registration nurse education. Nurse education in practice, 15(1), 38-43.

Sitzman, K., & Watson, J. (2018). Caring science, mindful practice: Implementing Watson's human caring theory. Springer Publishing Company.

McKenna, H., Pajnkihar, M., & Murphy, F. (2014). Fundamentals of Nursing Models, Theories and Practice, with Wiley E-Text. John Wiley & Sons.